


From A to B via Z

by everyinchofherspine



Category: Glee
Genre: F/F, Friends to Lovers, Gen, eventual quinn/tina
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-12
Updated: 2014-07-24
Packaged: 2018-01-24 11:45:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1603970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everyinchofherspine/pseuds/everyinchofherspine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Quinn and Tina are both close enough to the New York gang to know when they don't really fit in. A drunken phone call one night opens up the door between the two and they find themselves fitting with each other in ways they never imagined.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Thirsty in a Gay Club

From A to B via Z | Thirsty in a Gay Club

 

It starts when Tina is drunk, as the best stories always do. She’s in the gay club with the New York gang when the pang of homesickness hits her like a punch to the gut. She extricates herself with utmost difficulty from the cuddle puddle on the couch and lurches towards the bar. Ordering her fifth cocktail from the gorgeous and slightly effeminate bartender, she sits on the stool and swings lightly.

There was no reason for her to feel like she was missing something from home when she had been, quite literally, smooshed against her nearest and dearest. She had felt like this for months while she was trying to fit in at Brown. Despite her new life and the excitement of college, she still missed her friends. But now she was here with them and she still felt that slight ache of something missing.

Turning around and surveying her friends, Tina watched them curl around each other on the couch. Kurt and Blaine were furiously making out with an ease that told her that they were definitely here all the time. Santana was eying up any hot young thing that danced too close to her. Mercedes was alternating between watching Rachel being fawned over and staring deeply into Sam’s eyes. It was great that they were all happy, but it didn't help to distract from the loneliness curled in her chest.

 

Thumbing through her phone contacts, Tina tried to literally put her finger or what, or who, was missing. Artie, Brittany, Mike, Puck... They has all been a huge part of her life in different ways. And she missed them all. But that ache felt different. Like too much of homesickness and not enough of just loneliness. Her thumb hovers over one name and before she thinks about the time and the loudness of the club and her level of intoxication, it presses the "call" button.

The phone rings and rings and with every new ring, Tina can feel the ridiculousness of calling an old high school friend at 2 am. She's just about to hang up and send a text blaming a pocket dial when a muffled yawn comes through the speaker.

"Hello?"

"Quinn? Hi. It's Tina." Tina's suddenly painfully aware of the noise of the club against what has to be the silence of Quinn's dorm room. She slips into the bathroom, propping herself against one of the walls.

"Tina?" There's a muffled sound as Quinn looks at her phone for the time. "It's 2 am. Why are you calling me? Is everything okay? You're in New York with the others, right? Has something happened? Are you all okay?"

Tina can't help but smile at Quinn still caring after all this time. “Calm down, lion Quinn. We’re all fine. I’m fine. I’m just really drunk. I’m sorry. I know it’s late. I was just feeling lonely and called you. I’ll hang up now.”

In the resulting silence, Tina almost pulls the phone away and ends the call, until she hears Quinn re-shuffle and hmm into the phone.

“Okay, T, tell me what’s up.”

Tina sighs deeply and begins to rant, grateful for the listening ear. “I’m so tired but no one looks like they are going to go home any time soon and Kurt and Blaine are basically humping each other and I’m lonely and very drunk because the bartender here is as yummy as the cocktails he makes so I keep drinking and get even more homesick and every single person in this club is gay, it’s really disappointing.” She stops to draw breath and can hear Quinn chuckling softly in the background.

"Stop laughing at me, Quinn. This is serious!" But then Tina is laughing too, revelling in the absurdity of the entire thing. "I can't believe I'm acting this thirsty in a gay club. All I've been thinking about all night is getting the number of the DJ, even though Blaine says not to."

Quinn laughs, "Yeah coz Blaine is the expert in everything gay." Tina has to stifle a snort of laughter then, because he so is, and they both know it. "Ask him for his number anyway. You are hot enough to raise some questions for him anyway."

 

The laugh dies in Tina’s throat as a blush works its way over her body, making her tingle in a way the alcohol couldn’t come close to. she has no idea how to respond to that, no idea how to even try to categorise the way the simple compliment has made her feel. she feels the silence stretch between them, mirrored on Quinn’s side, thick and warm. Tina is almost certain she has fallen asleep when Quinn softly whispers down the line; “So how was the show?”

Tina sighs, half grateful for the subject change, half strangely disappointed. “It was amazing, she was amazing. I know already all of the reviews will be glowing.”

Quinn is silent again, obviously thinking. tina understands. if there is anyone who feels the resentment of being passed over for Rachel Berry, for not even being allowed the title of “the new Rachel”, more than Tina herself does, it’s Quinn. despite the years since, and friendships built in the meantime, high school wounds still remained. Tina silently finishes her drink while waiting for Quinn to reply.

“That’s good. I’m really glad.

She can hear the quiet sincerity behind the yawn. They'd come so far since high school. No wonder Quinn was having a personality crisis when she returned for the last glee club meeting. She was barely recognisable as the tempestuous queen bee cheerleader Tina had first met. Now she was just a wonderful woman all round.

Tina realises Quinn's been silent through her entire inner monologue. "Quinn?"

"Hmm?" The sleepy hum of Quinn makes Tina smile softly.

"Are you falling asleep?"

"Mwaybe..."

"Thank you for picking up the phone. I know I've done nothing but bitch about useless things but it was really nice to talk to you." Tina feels a blush working it's way up, strangely embarrassed for forcing Quinn to listen to her woes.

"'S'alright. I didn't realise how much I missed you."

The tingling is back and it's a full minute before Tina realises she's listening to Quinn breathe in her sleep. She hangs up and smiles.

 

..........

 

The next morning when they read the review, Tina texts Quinn.

"Review so glowing you'd think it was written by R herself. Sorry again about last night. Too much alcohol is never good. I did get the dj's number but Blaine stole it so I'm texting you."

Despite the early hour, the reply comes through within the minute, her phone vibrating in her hand as she smiles widely.

“Blaine is mean and he should let you seduce whoever you light. Tell Rach i’m proud of her. And don’t worry about last night, it was fun. I’d prefer the next time to be in the daylight hours, though. :)”

Tina can’t help the smile that burns across her face at that, obviously strong enough to get attention from Kurt, who raises a quizzical eyebrow at her. She shakes her head to clear her thoughts and mouths Quinn’s name to Kurt, who shrugs and turns back to the group. She continues grinning at her phone as she furiously texts back.

“Maybe less alcohol involved too :P”

Once again, the reply is instant. Quinn must have her phone glued to her hand. “Oh well that’s no fun at all :( When do you go back to Brown?”

“Tomorrow. Not looking forward to the drive but eh.”

Rachel and the group’s chattering fades out suddenly as she reads Quinn’s reply.

“Come visit me at Yale and we can reminisce. Pleeeeease? :D”

Suddenly, Tina can’t think of anything in the world sounding better. She’s not sure why, but since her fingers clicked on Quinn’s number last night (or earlier this morning), she’s felt the need to spend all her time talking to her. Maybe it was just the way Quinn made her laugh even when she was feeling crappy, or how she listened tirelessly despite falling asleep, but she’d made TIna feel more loved and cared for than she had for a long time. And so what if she wanted to feel like that again? Until Quinn told her to fuck off, she was going to suck up all the affection she could, even if it meant stopping in New Haven instead of driving straight to her warm and familiar bed.

“It’s a date :) I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Her grin now rivals Rachel’s and she doesn’t even mind that Kurt is staring at her again.

Life is suddenly a lot better than it was six hours ago.


	2. Keep Holding On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quinn and Tina meet up for a coffee date at Yale.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! First off, thank you to everyone who has read this fic. And big kisses to those who have left kudos. I am so thrilled that a rare-pair like Quinntina can still get attention. I am very grateful, so please feel free to leave feedback or questions for me if you have something to mention.  
> Secondly, I just wanted to let you know that this fic exists on Tumblr too, if you prefer that format. Each chapter comes with a chapter photo set/graphic too there, so if that floats your boat, come see me at everyinchofherspine.tumblr.com :)

She's overdressed for a pain in the ass drive but she doesn't care.

Usually she throws on sweats, points the car towards Brown and spends three hours singing obnoxiously loud. She's even timed her driving playlist so that she starts with songs that'll wake her up and winds down just as she approaches home. It's an art. So why the fuck is she wearing a skirt to drive today?

Yeah, she's stopping at Yale to see Quinn but was it completely necessary to make herself uncomfortable just because her legs looked fantastic this morning (so fantastic she noticed Santana check her out as they hugged goodbye)? She's not quite sure why she thinks the inhabitants of Yale deserved to see her looking so banging, and she's definitely regretting her decision now that the skirt has ridden up to the point of taking her panties with it and she now has the biggest car wedgie ever. She's about to try to extricate the material with her free hand when her phone starts ringing through the Bluetooth speakers. She settles for wiggling her butt, hoping that will sort her situation out, while answering the call.

"Fucking underwear! Hello?"

Quinn's laugh comes through the speakers and Tina is suddenly glad she paid for the good ones. Wasting a laugh like that on tinny speakers was practically criminal.

"Is that really how you answer the phone, Tina? What would your mother say?"

Tina smiles. "My mother would say I was an idiot for driving in something I'm not comfortable in and that I deserve this wedgie."

"Well it is your own fault then. Don't blame the underwear. Wait, are you still driving right now? Why didn't you pull over to answer the phone?"

"Chill, Quinn. I've got Bluetooth. Just because I text-fell into the fountain that one time doesn't mean I'm dumb enough to touch my phone while driving." She winces as soon as the words come out, suddenly remembering Quinn's accident too vividly, and far too late to stop herself from saying something truly dumb. She considers hitting her head on the wheel for punishment but knows that would go through the speakers clearly and embarrass her further. Stupid Bluetooth.

"Ugh I'm sorry, that came out wrong. I didn't mean you were dumb. I'm definitely the dumb one here because I just can't stop talking."

"Tina, shut up. I knew what you meant. I'm glad you have taken my accident as the cautionary tale it should be." Quinn's voice is only a little cool so Tina thanks the powers that be that her stupidity hadn't pissed off one of the only friends she still feels connected to. She vows to be more careful, but knows that is very unlikely.

Even now, she still feels drunk talking to Quinn. She's back in the club, three sheets to the wind again, blurting out whatever crosses her mind before she can run it through the filter. She deliberately bites her lip to keep from rambling apologies at her and waits for Quinn to talk about.

"Anyway," Quinn clears her throat, "I rang to check how long you'd be before getting here. I'm hungry but if you'll be here soon I'll take you out to lunch at my favourite place."

Tina sighs silently in relief and checks the time. "I'll be there in about half an hour, providing I don't get lost. Think you can hold out that long?"

Quinn makes a show of umming and ahhing and Tina laughs. "I supposeeee i can wait that long. But no longer. If you get lost and take more time, I'm eating without you."

"Fair deal. And you need to compliment my uncomfortable but super cute skirt when I get there."

Quinn laughs hard at that. "Okay, it's a deal. I'll see you soon." Tina hangs up, still grinning like mad.

 

It takes exactly eight songs to get into New Haven and locate Yale. She pulls up Quinn's texted instructions to get to her dorm and zigzags across campus, in awe of how pretty the grounds are. The air feels cool on her legs as she navigates across the grass to the building she's hoping Quinn lives in. From there she finds the room easily and knocks, hoping it's Quinn behind the door, not a random stranger.

Quinn's smile shines as she opens the door and Tina is hit with an overwhelming feeling of relief mixed with humility. Just seeing Quinn has immediately brightened her day and she's so thankful that Quinn is choosing to spend her time with someone like Tina. Maybe it's holdover from high school, when Quinn was the top dog and Tina just a nameless goth who faked a stutter, but she still felt like she wasn't worthy of Quinn's time.

There’s nothing is Quinn’s welcoming hug that indicates this though. It’s warm and friendly and Tina doesn't want to let go. She has to though because Quinn is suddenly grabbing her hand and pulling her out the door and down the hall.

"Sorry, I'll be a nice host in a minute but right now it's food time." Tina giggles and trots behind Quinn, feeling strangely disappointed when Quinn drops her hand in favour of linking arms with her. They make small talk as Quinn leads them through the campus to a tiny cafe tucked between buildings.

It's warm inside and the gust of air pushes the scent of Quinn's perfume into Tina. She inhales deeply, smelling lilies and musk and something warm and inviting. It's a soothing smell by itself, but something in it curls deep in Tina's stomach, making her want to inhale over and over until she's consumed with it.

She realises she's been standing in the doorway when Quinn turns and tugs her towards the counter. They order quickly, Quinn insisting she have... _something_ (Tina wasn’t really listening) and shepherding them to a corner table. The fall sunlight shines through onto Quinn’s hair and the effect is stunning. Tina is silent for a moment, just staring at how pretty her friend is.

Quinn smiles at her, cocking her head slightly in confusion. “What?”

“Sorry, just daydreaming. Hi.”

"Hi." Quinn's smile is sweet and fond, looking like she's genuinely glad to have Tina with her and Tina resists the urge to pinch herself.

Since high school she had admired Quinn, and wanted desperately to be her friend. For a long time that was completely impossible, but glee opened up the gap between them. Tina went from silently respecting Quinn to being on a first name basis with her when they met in the halls. Then in the year of The Troubletones, Quinn and Tina had to band together. Tina felt like they were actually friends then, not just because of necessity, but because they shared a lot of common elements. Then Quinn graduated and Tina assumed that was the closest she was going to get. And now she was here, eating with Quinn in her favourite cafe, nodding along while Quinn told her all about life at Yale. It's not where she expected to be, but it's somewhere she loves.

“You haven’t been listening to me at all, have you?” Quinn’s voice interrupts her inner monologue and Tina glances up, ashamedly, to see Quinn smiling at her from across the table.

“I’m sorry. I was just thinking about high school. Did you ever think that you would end up here?” Tina picks at the food that she barely noticed arriving while Quinn considers her answer, sucking her milkshake in a way that would be considered pornographic if Quinn wasn’t so utterly unaware of the stares she was drawing.

“Yes and no. well, okay, no, not at all. Me in high school never would have considered I’d end up here. But that doesn’t mean that here isn’t exactly when I’m supposed to be.”

Tina cocks her head to the side, “You mean destiny?”

“Kinda,” she fiddles with a fry on her plate, “Or maybe I just mean that we all have certain paths in our lives, and even if we go off-route, life always finds a way of putting you back on track. You just need to accept the times you have deviated and let yourself go where life takes you.”

Tina gives her a cheeky grin. “That’s an awfully mature philosophy for someone who wouldn’t even tell her boyfriend about her past a few months ago.”

Quinn grimaces. “Well, i’d admit it’s a fairly new philosophy, yes. But going back to high school really put it all back into perspective for me. I accept my past now, because it’s made me who I am now.” She looks at Tina intensely for a moment and Tina feels it radiate through her. “You actually inspired me with that.”

Tina coughs on her mouthful of milkshake, spluttering in a way that is definitely not attractive. “Me? How did I help?”

Quinn laughs softly at her distress. “You’re the only person who has gone through more personas than I have. And you’ve always done it so well, like you are also just so sure of who you are. Whether you’re in the fishnets or go-go boots, you just know who are and what you want in life. It’s really refreshing”

Tina laughs nervously. “I’m so not anything special. I have no clue who I am sometimes. And as for what I’m doing… I applied to a Jewish school just to go to college in New York and now I’m not even there but I’m still happy. I have no clue what I’m doing.”

“Tina, you don’t have to do the self-deprecating thing. Just take the compliment.”

Tina blushes, and she knows it’s obvious, but the idea of _Quinn Fabray_ admiring _her_ is just too out-there for her to properly comprehend. “Thank you, I guess. It’s still difficult though. But college makes it easier.”

Quinn resumes eating, her eyes bright as she listening to Tina talk. “How so?”

“Well, I guess like it felt in high school that once I made a change and moved on from the whole goth thing, that people would get confused if I decided to go back to that. Like, everyone saw the outside personas and not my personality so I was kinda… I don’t know, stuck? But now, people don’t care. I pull out my fuck-me boots from my closet one day and pair it with the full makeup and the next I’m back to mod-chic. People just look at me and see Tina, I guess.”

“See this is what I mean. You are just so relaxed about who you are and don’t care how people see you. I can’t do that. All my life, it’s been so important that people see me a certain way. It’s really hard to break away from that.”

“Well, I can only speak for myself, but I’ve never seen you differently. Whether you were Queen-Bee-Quinn or pregnant-Quinn or skank-Quinn, I’ve always just liked you for you.”

Quinn looks away from Tina as a blush softly sweeps her cheeks. “Thank you. I needed to hear that.”

They’re silent for a bit, finishing their food while caught up in their own thoughts. Tina is in the middle of humming along to whatever crappy song is playing through the tinny PA when Quinn smiles at her and speaks. “Wanna see what I got when I came back from McKinley the last time?”

Tina nods excitedly as Quinn is suddenly sitting next to her and lifting her top up, revealing a small and perfectly inked tattoo on her ribs. Tina resists the (far too strong) urge to run her fingers over it, and just smiles.

“That’s so sweet, I love it.”

Quinn pulls her top back down but doesn’t move back to the other side of the booth. “Once you guys sang that song to me, it just played over and over in my mind until I knew I had to do something to commemorate it.” She runs her hand over when her skin proclaims “Keep holding on” in neat, black ink.

“Does it help?”

“It does actually. When I’m having days where I wish things were different, or that I was different, I see it or touch it and remember that you need to have your past to have a future.”

Tina smiles at her, feeling some strange emotion welling up on her. “That’s really inspiring, Quinn.”

Quinn grins at her again and gives her a quick hug. “This was so nice. I’m so glad you came today. We really need to do it again.”

Tina looks at her watch quickly and swears. “Shit. I really need to get back, don’t I? I have a paper due tomorrow and I have done exactly one paragraph.” She’d she spent too much time with Quinn but she couldn’t find it within her to mind.

They both stand up in one fluid movement and hug. Tina is loath to leave but the image of her unfinished paper and professor’s angry face intrude on the moment. “Text me when you get home safely,” Quinn murmurs into Tina’s hair.

Tina smiles when she pulls away, “Yes, mom.”

Tina’s wiggles out of the booth and walks across the cafe, almost at the door when Quinn calls out behind her. “By the way, the skirt was worth it. Your legs look great.”

Tina grins at her and walks out, the sound of Quinn’s laughter following her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this was pretty talky but lots of important things were mentioned so eh.  
> Unfortunately its exam time at uni so I'm going to bury myself in textbooks for a bit. That will delay chapter 3 a bit but hopefully not too long.  
> If you want, I have an updates tab on my tumblr, so you can check up on my progress there. :)


	3. Of Skype and Sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait guys! Uni exams are over so I'm back in business.  
> Reminder that you can find me on tumblr as well at everyinchofherspine.tumblr.com
> 
> See you for Chapter 4, which will have a change of format, but it shouldn't be too different. :)

Tina is barely through the door of her dorm room when her roommate accosts her.

"You had sex, didn't you?"

Tina lets out a startled laugh and places her bags on the floor. "No?"

Rory looks at her, cocking her head and studying her like a fascinating painting. "Okay. False alarm. Just had a look about you that's all."

Tina shakes her head, smiling. "You dork." She hugs Rory close, squeezing her til she squeaks. Rory returns the hug, tightening her grip until Tina is flapping her hands in a vain attempt to get loose and crying uncle. Rory releases her and Tina laughs. "I missed you."

She tosses her bags in the vague direction of her side of the room and flops on her bed, feeling her skirt flip up slightly but uncaring. Her and Rory got over casual nakedness two weeks into living with each other.

Rory sits on her own bed, crossing her legs underneath her and resting her chin on her hands. "Soooo, how was New York?" Rory is looking at Tina strangely again but she ignores it and launches into a blow by blow of her trip.

Tina tells her about the play, and the pride mixed with jealousy, and the gay bar, and getting drunk and calling Quinn, and about the review, and about planning to see Quinn, and about her trip to Yale. She tells her everything, from the drinks she ordered to the way the tattoo curled on Quinn's skin and it's only when she's finished talking that she realises she's exhausted. It's been a long and involved weekend and she's spent way too much time thinking about high school for it to be healthy.

Rory's eyes gleam slightly when Tina finishes her story. "So tell me about Quinn..."

Tina sighs and begins to tell her about Quinn in all her different forms and moods. She changes into her sweats as she talks, getting set for a long afternoon studying. Her leg is halfway into her sweatpants when she freezes, suddenly remembering. "Shit! I told Quinn I'd text her when I got home safe and I've been here like an hour. She's going to think I'm dead."

Rory laughs at her, "And after your joke about car crashes before, too."

Tina glares at her. "Helping or hindering?"

"Oh, definitely hindering." She tosses her phone at Tina, who catches it, just, and begins to text Quinn frantically.

 

**I'm not dead! Just dumb. Rory wanted to know everything about my trip when I got on so I forgot.**

_It's okay. I was only at Defcon 3._

**3? That's all I deserve? You are so cruel, Quinn.**

_Shut up. Who's Rory?_

**My roommate. She says hey, by the way.**

_Oh that's cool. It's nice that she was concerned about your trip._

**Not really, just searching for gossip. She was convinced when I walked in that I'd had sex.**

_Well considering you were in a gay bar and then with me, either I missed something big or you stopped on the way home to pick up something something._

**Definitely the later. Picked up this trucker. Big and hairy, just how I like 'em.**

_Mike was certainly an anomaly then._

**It's true, I had to make him wear a trucker's cap and a plaid shirt before I'd even let him in bed with me. And even then it was only good if there was CB radio static in the background. Oh baby.**

_Tina! Warn me before you get all gross on me. I nearly spat out my tea._

 

"What are you laughing at?" Rora is looking at her quizzically when she is silently quivering on her bed, trying not to laugh out loud.

"Nothing, just Quinn." She waves a hand nonchalantly at Rory, who has that look again but says nothing.

**Yes, my liege. I'll let you know in advance when I'm planning on being witty. I doubt you'll be getting many of those message those, awkward jokes are more my thing.**

_Ahh, yes, the good old "if you can't say anything funny, say something to make people look at you funny" brand of humor._

**You know too much, Fabray.**

_I'm actually majoring in "Tina Cohen-Chang"._

**Featuring such classes as Stuttering 101, How to Never Complete a Solo and Introduction to Gangnam Style?**

_This course is going to make me rich, just you wait._

**I think you'll be waiting a while on that one.**

**Shit, I still haven't started that paper.**

_Have some faith in me, Tina._

_Oh. Well you better get cracking then. I don't fancy your chances getting a mid-term transfer into my awesome course._

**I'll text you when I'm done. Wish me luck.**

_Luck!_

 

Putting her phone down with a sigh draws Rory's attention. "She give up on you?"

"No, I still have to do my paper so I tapped out."

"Well that's my cue to leave."

"Noooooo, don't leave me. I promise I won't talk to you too much."

Rory gathers up her books, smiling over her shoulder at Tina. "I've been burnt before. Text me when I can come back."

Tina pouts at her and Rory kisses her cheek before sweeping out of the room.

Tina takes advantage of the empty room and puts on her studying playlist and pulling her books towards her.

 

Two hours later, Tina sighs and shoves the books away, picking up her phone.

**Bored now.**

_Finished the paper already? You're speedy._

**Ha! Not even half way. I can't study without talking to someone.**

_So talk to your roommate._

**Rory can't stand when I talk while she studies. She just flees to the library now when I pull out my books and leaves me alone to talk to myself.**

_Do you really talk to yourself?_

**...**

**Maybe.**

_That is so sad._

_I don't mind talk while I'm studying, did you want me to call you?_

**Do you mind if we Skype? That way I don't need to worry about the patchy cell service in here. I look like shit though.**

_Me too. Okay I'll add you._

 

In the short gap between her text sending and her Skype ringing, Tina runs a brush through her hair and clear gloss over her lips. She wishes she had more time to change shirts, but she can already hear the Skype call coming through.

She flops to the bed and quickly adjusts herself til she's comfortable and answers the call with a huge grin.

"Hi," Quinn is also smiling, sitting cross-legged in her bed. "Nice glasses!"

Tina laughs and touches the frames nervously. She’d completely forgotten she was wearing them and she hated people seeing her in her glasses. Rory hadn’t even known she had them until she found them while cleaning and ordered Tina to wear them more often instead of squinting through mountains of work.

“Oh yeah, they’re nerd chic.”

Quinn smiles at her, picking up on the vibe, despite the distance. “Shut up, you look really cute in them.”

Tina blushes and ducks her head as Quinn chuckles. Tina pokes her tongue out at her.

“So what do you have to do for your paper?” Quinn asks, settling into her sofa with a soft rustle of fabric.

Tina opens up the document on the computer, explaining vaguely what she needs to do to Quinn’s minimised face. Quinn nods along, asking questions here and there and the conversation moves on, the two chatting aimlessly as Tina types away at her work.

She’s 2000 words in and busy looking up a passage in a massive text book when she realises she’s stopped talking and Quinn is filling the silence with soft humming. Tina looks up, smiling and watching the soft smile on Quinn’s face as she reads her book.

Quinn seems to somehow sense Tina’s eyes on her and looks up. “I’m sorry. Is the humming annoying you?”

“No, it’s really nice actually. Very relaxing, but you may just put me to sleep.”

Quinn yawns and glances at the clock. “Shit, is it really that time? I have an early class tomorrow.”

Tina grimaces. “I’m sorry. You can go to sleep. You didn’t have to spend all your night talking to me.”

“Nah, it’s all good. This is actually a really nice way to spend the night. I miss having someone to talk to since my roommate left. How long do you have left?”

Tina checks her wordcount. “I’m only 500 words and a reference list from finished.”

Quinn grins, “We’ve got a lot done today. I’m proud.”

Tina hums in agreement and flips open her textbook, highlighter stuck between her teeth.

Quinn starts her humming again and Tina can’t help herself wishing that Quinn could always help her study. The soft sounds of turning pages and her husky melody falls into the background so subtly that she focuses entirely on her paper.

About half an hour later, Tina submits the paper and cracks her neck, stiff from staring at the screen for hours. She maximises Quinn’s skype window and is about to jubilantly announce she’s finished when she freezes.

Quinn’s computer had obviously slid sideways as she slumped on the sofa because all Tina can see on her screen now is the huddled form of Quinn, breathing deeply as she sleeps. The light from the screen throws soft patterns on her face and she nuzzles ever further into her arms to escape it.

Its adorable and sweet and it gives Tina an ache in her chest to think that Quinn stayed up with Tina to help her, even though she could be doing her own thing. It’s not a feeling Tina is used to, and it makes her well up with an overabundance of emotion.

Tina hears the key in the lock and hastily wipes her eyes, turning to face Rory as she bursts in.

“Okay I’m sorry I’m a bad friend but I finished my work so I can talk to you through your homework now.”

Tina shushes her and softly closes her laptop, not wanting to wake Quinn since she was too far away to physically put her to bed. Rory cocks her head at the motion as she pulls off her scarf.

“It’s all good, I’m finished already.”

“Already? It’s only 12. You usually finish at 8:45 for a paper due at 9. Are you okay?”

Tina laughs softly, still feeling somehow fragile. “Quinn skyped with me until she fell asleep so we got through it quickly.”

Rory raises an eyebrow at her. “I never heard of this Quinn girl before and now today you visit her, spend all afternoon texting her and then skype her til she falls asleep? Someone’s smitten.”

Tina’s comeback fades in her mind as Rory sashays into the bathroom, effectively ending the conversation. She crawls into bed, not bothering to change, and pretends to be asleep when Rory comes back from her shower. She waits until she hears her roommate’s soft snores and pulls out her phone, holding it under the sheets to block the light and sends one last text to Quinn.

 

**Thanks for tonight x**


	4. Boinking in a Bathroom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sexual tension over makeup, spin the bottle and someone has sex

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! It's super long because it was originally 2 chapters. See more chapter notes at end.

“What do you mean?” Quinn’s face is quizzical through the low res of the computer screen.

Tina rolls over on her bed and props her chin up on her hand. “I don’t know. I’m just bored. I haven’t gotten drunk since New York and I hate going to college parties here.”

“Why? Do they have shit parties at Brown?”

Tina laughs and shakes her head. “No, the parties are awesome. I just have a really bad habit of getting really drunk and hitting on guys who are gay. Everyone knows it now so I can’t even look sideways at a guy without them taking it as some affront to their masculinity because they think I think they’re gay.”

Quinn laughs at her and watches Tina grab a pillow and shoves her head into it. “Shut up. I have a really shit gaydar. I don’t even know if it’s coz I spent so much time around Kurt and Blaine but the ones who are cute and compliment my shoes are the ones I like best. I have a problem.”

Quinn fights off a new wave of giggles, causing Tina to flip her off.

“Shut up, it’s really not funny.”

“Wait, so, how long has it been since you…” Quinn trails off, looking meaningfully at Tina with a slight blush on her cheeks.

The pillow reappears and Tina holds it over her mouth, looking at Quinn over the edge of the pillowcase. “A long time. A loooong time.”

“Really?”

Tina nods silently.

“Okay, we need to fix that. We need to get you laid.”

Tina’s eyes widen and she hides further behind the pillow. “How are we going to do that?”

“You just need a new playing field. Come to Yale this weekend, we’ll party, you’ll hook up with someone and then tell me all about it so I can live vicariously.”

Tine emerges from the pillow slowly. “That actually sounds like a good plan. It might just get me laid.”

Quinn grins and starts listing off ideas for her make-up, hair and outfit. Tina rushes to her closet and brings out her favourite selections to show Quinn. She’s covered in clothes when Rory comes back from her class.

“Did the closet throw up on you again?”

“Okay, it wasn’t my fault you stacked my sweaters haphazardly that time, but no. Quinn and I are trying to make me look attractive.”

Rory waves at Quinn through the screen, as she had began to do now that it was common to find the two skyping at any given time. “I’ve been trying to convince Tina to get a clit piercing. I think that would help.”

Tina flushes red instantly and laughs nervously. “We haven’t been talking about… piercings, Quinn. Rory’s just saying that for your benefit.”

Rory calls out from the bathroom, “No i’m not! I really mean it.”

Quinn is laughing hysterically on cam as Tina excuses herself and chases after Rory, cornering her in the bathroom.

“Oh my god!” Tina says, whacking her with the pillow, “Could you be more embarrassing?”

Rory grinned at her. “I could have shown her my piercing.”

“Shut up. You know what I mean. Quinn’s my friend, I don’t want to talk about my...bits with her.”

Rory raises an eyebrow. “I’m your friend and we discuss our ‘bits’ all the time.”

“That’s coz our bits live in the same room together. They physically need to be comfortable with each other.”

“Tina, this conversation is getting weird. Just get back out there and plan outfits with your girl.”

“She’s not my girl,” Tina calls back over her shoulder, before parking herself back in front of the computer.

Quinn is a little red in the face, probably from laughing so hard. “Who’s not your girl?”

“You.”

Quinn mock pouts at her. “Aww, but I totally want to be your girl.”

Tina tries to fight the blush she feels coming on and distracts Quinn by continuing to plan her outfit.

Rory comes back into the room and rolls her eyes at the two of them, occasionally throwing out suggestions until a solid plan had been reached.

With her outfit set aside, Tina bids goodnight to Quinn and Rory and proceeds to hide under her blanket until her blush finally cools and waits impatiently for Saturday.

 

“Hey Quinn, do you have any glitter eyeshadow I can borrow?”

Tina is in Quinn’s bathroom, scowling at her face in the mirror while Quinn tries on every pair of shoes she owns. It’s somewhat surreal being in Quinn’s room. It so obviously Quinn from the yellow of her bedspread to the tube of lily-scented hand cream sitting on her vanity. Tina has to resist the urge to use some just so she can smell pretty and warm all day.

Quinn trots into the bathroom, two sets of heels dangling from her fingers. "I'll help you in a sec, but first, strappy heels or wedges?"

"Wedges. I've always loved you in wedges."

Quinn hums in agreement and leans against the doorframe to slip into the shoes.

Tina focuses on blending her foundation and smiles into the mirror as Quinn comes to behind her, a head taller than her now. Tina spins and faces her as Quinn studies her face, tilting her head to the side.

"I say ditch the glitter eyeshadow and do a subtle eye with red lips. Maybe a little eyeliner wing."

"You don't think the lips will be too much?"

"Definitely not. You have amazing lips. Play them up and you'll definitely hook up."

Tina blushes lightly and turns toward the mirror, fiddling with the eyeliner.

"I'm so shit at liquid eyeliner. Shaky hands. Be prepped with the Q-tips."

Quinn chuckles and comes behind her and softly takes the eyeliner from her with one hand and turns her to face her with the other.

"Sit up on the bench and I'll do it for you."

She complies, sliding onto the cool counter and letting her eyes drift closed. She's usually not a fan of letting other people near her eyes, but something about Quinn makes her trust her easily.

The liquid eyeliner is cool against her eyelid and Tina flinches slightly as Quinn softly blows on the line to dry it.

"Open."

Tina opens her eyes slowly, blinking to adjust as she focuses on Quinn's hazel eyes. Quinn smiles at her and finishes brushing on the last line.

"Try not to move while this dries," Quinn commands and Tina happily continues staring at Quinn's face as she surveys the makeup. She finally declares it finished and backs away from the bench.

Tina clears her throat, a little uncomfortable with the feeling of emptiness once Quinn steps back. She watches her flounce back into the bedroom and forces herself to turn away and make sure her lips are just right. She’s definitely feeling the need to hook up now.

 

"Okay, let's get the ground rules down."

Tina turns to Quinn with a quizzical look. “We’re going to a party, not embarking on some kinky sex.”

Quinn laughs, “Well I obviously have different plans for tonight than you.”

Tina blushes lightly and nudges her in the side.

“Yeah, but on the topic of sex, we need ground rules. I gave you the spare key to my room so if you don’t hook up you can spend the night there. If you do hook up, you can go to their room and leave me alone to cry. We’ll text each other to make sure we’re both alive and meet up for coffee once you surface in the morning.” Quinn winks at her.

“Sounds like a good plan.” Despite the fact that hooking up was the entire reason Tina came to this party, she wasn’t sure she’d find someone interesting enough to spend the night with them. Make-out with, definitely. Get all down and dirty with a guy in the bathroom, why not? But it’d been a long time since she’d had sex and she wanted to spend time with Quinn,even if it was just dumb sleepover conversations across a dark room.

Quinn linked her arm with Tina’s and the soft brush of her skin jolts Tina out of her reverie. “You back?”

Tina smiles and tightens her grip on Quinn’s arm. “Yep. Let’s go get wild.”

 

Tina laughs hysterically when Quinn suggests playing Spin the Bottle with a group of people from her Art History class.

“Spin the Bottle? Oh my god. Are we twelve?”

Quinn mock pouts at Tina and Tina laughs.

“Okay fine, let’s go make out with strangers!”

“That’s what we’re here to do.”

Quinn leads Tina to a quieter corner of the room, her hand soft and warm in Tina’s. She let’s go when Quinn takes a seat between the boy with dreads and a guy who is staring holes through Tina’s top in a way he probably thinks is subtle. Tina walks around the circle and finds a spot that’s across from Quinn, between two innocuous looking girls. They do a quick round of introductions and most of the names fade out quickly, except for the boy who likes her tits (who is apparently named Dominic and is actually relatively cute when he keeps his eyes to himself).

The boy with dreads spins first and lands on a girl with sticky looking lipgloss, obviously not prepared for this game at all. It doesn’t look like a good kiss, and to be honest, it’s not making her look forward to the rest of the game, lest she land on which ever one used the excess of tongue moments before.

The game goes on and Tina is actually starting to have fun watching and judging the technique of everyone in front of her. The bottle ends up pointing to her and she crawls across the circle to quickly kiss a boy who smelt like chocolate. It's nothing to write home about, although she could happily take his cologne home with her.

Tina manages to escape the next couple of rounds and then it's her turn. She flicks the bottle, watch it skate around on the carpet and finally point towards the boy next to Quinn. He grins at her cockily as he slides forward, giving her chest yet another glance before meeting her in the middle. He kisses her with a sweetness that directly contradicts the way he's been staring at her all night and it's actually quite nice. It's been a while she's had a pleasant kiss and she's almost sad when he has to pull away. Almost.

She sits back, watching as Quinn kisses the girl on the left of Tina. She can't help but notice that it's a very good kiss, and the rest of the group oohs and ahhs appropriately. Lilies scent the air ever so slightly and Quinn winks at Tina when she pulls back.

The next three spins are uneventful, the guy with dreads kissing Dominic, the sticky lipgloss girl kissing another girl clumsily and the two girls either side of Tina kissing, causing Tina to lean backwards to avoid making it a threesome.

Dominic spins and lets out a whoop when it lands on Tina and they meet in the middle again. He experiments this time, drawing her bottom lip into his mouth and scraping it with his teeth. He groans lightly when the time is up and she's smiles at him, flattered by the attention.

Quinn spins and the bottle rotates painfully slowly before pointing to Tina. She feels a blush paint her cheeks and puts it down to the beer she's been drinking and the fact that she's about to kiss her good friend. She looks up at Quinn slowly, who is smiling openly at her, lips slightly parted and waiting patiently for Tina to make the first move.

She’s feeling a little unsteady kneeling on the carpet, so she brings a hand up to softly rest on Quinn’s cheek before moving to slowly kiss her. Quinn’s lips are even softer than she thought they would be, and the soft slide of them over Tina’s lipstick is bound to be messy, but god it’s worth it. Tina is acutely aware that they only have seconds before people start to wolf-whistle and drag them from each other, but time, cliched as it sounds, slowed down the second their lips touched. Tina touches Quinn’s bottom lip hesitantly with her tongue and tries to fight back a smile when she opens up underneath her immediately. She tilts her head slightly to the left and runs her tongue along Quinn’s teeth, dimly beginning to hear the group start to whoop and cat-call. She pulls back reluctantly, pressing one last peck to Quinn’s lips before letting her eyelashes flutter back open. Quinn’s eyes look darker and more beautiful than usual as she grins at Tina one last time and sits back in her spot in the circle.

The group move on quickly, spinning and kissing each other but Tina can’t help but sit there and moisten her lips, feeling where the lipstick has slid off and painted Quinn’s lips with a red blush. She feels a little dazed, a little warm, and a little drunk, but a quick glance at her drink tells her she really hasn’t drunk enough to warrant the numbness in her legs and the heat in her body. She struggles to her feet clumsily and mumbles something about getting another drink before fleeing to the drinks table and taking a second to breathe deeply.

What the fuck has got into you? Why are you acting so insane right now? You kissed your friend, in a game, and now suddenly it’s all Bambi legs and endless blushing? Get it together.

A hand on her shoulder disrupts her angry inner monologue and she spins around, almost hoping that Quinn’s come over to see how she is. She comes face to face with Dominic, who has finally torn his gaze from her tits long enough to stare at her lips with a burning intensity. A quick glance shows her that Quinn is still with the group, seeming very nonchalant and unconcerned by Tina’s absence. It annoys Tina somehow, that Quinn isn’t caring about her and is letting her go off and do her own thing, but maybe she just thinks she’s allowing Tina to hook up.

That is what you are here to do, she reminds herself silently, and forces herself to smile at Dominic. He’s quite good looking, and not a bad kisser, so she really could do a lot worse. Even his staring was flattering if you squinted. Aww, fuck it.

She grabs his face between her hands and roughly kisses him, letting him take the initiative and slip his tongue between her lips, fucking into her mouth like he owns it. He’s obviously in a possessive mood because his hands snake down her back and grab her ass. He walks backwards, dragging her with him until they are in the middle of the dancefloor again. Tina lets herself sway to the beat and close her eyes, focusing on the way the music flows over her while Dominic’s hands roam all over her body. He buries his head in her neck and starts to suck a mark there while his hands drift up her shirt. Tina has to try not to roll her eyes as he allows himself to touch her without so much as a “by your leave”. His fingertips leave slightly warm lines in their wake as they drift endlessly across her skin, dipping slightly lower every sweep until his hand is inside her jeans, running along the silk of her panties. He runs his fingertips over her and grins cockily at her when she’s wet underneath him.

A small part of Tina wants to tell him that she’s been wet since the second Quinn’s lips touched hers, but the largest part of her wants to deny the truth and blame it on him. She grabs his head and drags it back to hers, canting her hips closer towards him as she kisses him passionately.

She aware that she can hear the song change and smell the beer and that her eyes are open and taking in the room. She’s usually someone who immerses herself in a kiss, wanting to absorb every detail so she can replay it endlessly. But this time, she’s not even noticing how Dominic is moving her mouth because she is busy looking around the room. She doesn’t even realise what she’s looking for until her eyes rest on Quinn, leaning against a wall and casually chatting with some friends. Keeping her eyes on Quinn, who doesn't even glance towards the dance floor, she brings her lips up to Dominic's ear. "Let's go somewhere more private."

He grins like all his Christmases have come at once as he leads her to the bathroom, hurrying through the crowd.

As soon as the door shuts behind them, he pushes her against it, unbuckling her jeans with one hand and kissing down her chest. She can feel her body respond to his touch as he slips a hand inside her underwear and circles her clit. It's nice, but she also wants it to be over so she can be back in Quinn's spare bed and asleep. She forces her mind to shut the fuck up and focuses on the soft drag of Dominic's fingers through her slick lips.

Bored of the foreplay, Tina works on his pants, drawing his cock out with a practised hand. She falls to her knees, wincing when she hits the tile a little too hard, and pulls him into her mouth. She works him skilfully, using all her patented tricks to draw a moan and a "fuck!" out of him within moments. She uses her tongue to collect the salty precum from his slit, grimacing slightly at the taste, before pulling off him with a lewd pop.

"Do you have a condom?" He nods and starts fossicking in his pockets while Tina kicks off her panties and lifts herself up onto the counter, hissing slightly at the feeling of cold marble on her ass. She watches him roll it on, raising an eyebrow at him when he struggles to tear open the wrapper. Dominic finally sorts himself out and she pulls him forward with her legs, locking her ankles behind his ass. She gives him a second to line himself up properly and then pulls him into her, wincing at the initial stretch. It's been a while but she adjusts quickly, letting him set the pace. He thrusts into her quickly, panting against her neck and she can tell he's not going to last long. There's no way she's going to get where she wants to in the time it's going to take him to come. She's not quite sure what to do now, she's never faked an orgasm in her life, never needed to. If she's ever left unsatisfied, it's usually with someone she's comfortable enough to talk about it with. This is exactly why she wasn't a fan of casual sex.

He's starting to grunt and quicken his thrusts, erratically moving in her, and Tina makes the decision instantly, moaning in time with his thrusts in a way that she hopes doesn't sound too fake. She desperately doesn’t want to be girl with the porn-star moan but he doesn’t seem to notice, starting up a litany of curses against her neck between wet kisses over her skin. She feels him tense up inside her as she clenches down on him on what she hopes is a reasonable faux-orgasm. He groans loudly in her ear as he comes, thrusting weakly as he finishes.

She pushes him away quickly and pulls her clothes on quickly as he sorts himself out, wincing when glances her neck in the mirror, covered in unattractive red marks that she wish she could erase.

“Did you wanna come back to my room?” He asks, pants half on but still managing to leer at her, something that is decidedly no longer cute in any way.

“No, I’m staying with a friend,” she says quickly and his face falls. “Sorry.”

She gives him a quick kiss on the cheek and flees the bathroom, refusing to look at anyone or even look for Quinn until she is back in Quinn’s room, curled on the spare bed and hiding under the covers.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise profusely for the shitty hetero sex but I think it's also super important for the character of Tina.   
> I hope you guys are enjoying the story, and feel free to leave me comments here or on my tumblr everyinchofherspine.tumblr.com


	5. You're So Gay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait on this one, guys. I've just started back up at uni and have been sick. Reminder to check my updates on my blog (bansheeinbraids.tumblr.com - yes I changed my url) to find out when the chapter is coming.
> 
> This is basically a filler but I promise girl sexing next chapter!

Tina is almost asleep, hiding under the covers, when Quinn finally comes in. The light shines bright in her eyes when Quinn flicks it on, and Tina instantly groans and buries her face in the pillow.

“Oh shit, Tina, I didn’t know you were in here, sorry!”

Tina emerges slowly from her blanket cave, blinking at the light and mumbling out, “It’s okay, I was waiting for you anyway.”

“I didn’t think you were going to be here. I could have sworn I saw you hooking up with that guy from Spin the Bottle. Mind if I get changed?”

Tina nods and Quinn strips down almost instantly, throwing her clothes across the room into the bathroom. Tina feels her eyes drift to the smooth skin of Quinn’s back and forces herself to start talking to distract herself. “Yeah I did hook up with him but it’s definitely a ‘been there, done that’ thing.”

Quinn hums thoughtfully as she changes into her pajamas, turns off the light and crawls into her bed. It’s silent for a second and Tina tries to find Quinn’s face in the dark. “Quinn? Have you ever had bad sex?”

She can hear Quinn shuffle and roll over and Tina assumes she must be looking back at her. “No, I don’t think so. I’ve had average sex and good sex, but I don’t think i’ve ever had bad sex.”

“You don’t want to. Earlier tonight, it was like I wanted to crawl out of my skin rather than be in there with him.”

Another creak of the bed makes Tina imagine Quinn has propped herself up on an elbow and is looking at her with concern. “Did you want to have sex with him?” Her tone is a little jagged and stressed.

“Oh god, don’t worry. Yes, it was totally consensual. I didn’t do anything I didn’t want. I was just doing it for the wrong reasons probably. It just felt wrong. I mean, there technically wasn’t anything wrong with him or what he was doing, it just didn’t do anything for me. I didn’t even come.”

"Really?!"

"Really. That never happens for me. The only other time I didn’t come during sex was the first time with Mike, and that’s because we were both in experienced and didn’t know how to get what we wanted. But since then, never."

"So what did you do with whatshisname?"

"I moaned like a porn star and faked it, of course!" Tina is laughing now, far enough from the situation to see the humour, not just the gross.

Quinn laughs from across the room and starts to moan deliberately loud and fake. Tina joins in and soon they are having a moan-off, trying to outdo each other by emulating the very worst porn stars. Soon they both collapse in giggles in the dark, Tina slumping back onto the bed and tiredly closing her eyes.

"Thank you for inviting me, Quinn, this is exactly what I needed."

She hears Quinn snort to her right. “Bad sex and pornstar moans is what you needed?”

Tina laughs to herself. “Obviously.” She waits a while then continues seriously, “No, I mean just being with you. It’s been nice. And maybe this whole thing is trying to teach me something. Maybe I’m not made for casual sex. I think I’m ready for another relationship.”

She waits to hear Quinn’s reply but is only met with a soft snore. Smiling fondly to herself, Tina rolls over and buried herself in blankets once more.

 

Tina wakes with start, freezing momentarily before she remembers where she is. She scrambles for her phone, lost in the blanket somewhere, before finding it and lighting up the time. 8:03. Tina sighs and flops back into the pillows. She always found it difficult to sleep in when she was at another person’s place. In her own bed she could sleep til noon, easy, but in a new bed she was lucky if she slept in til nine.

She would really appreciate a sleep in though, with the hangover that was currently making her head pound and swim slightly. Either sleep or coffee was needed, and in her experience, once she’s awake she couldn’t go back to sleep. That only left coffee.

She listens to the slow breathing of Quinn while she tries to remember how to get to the cafe Quinn took her to. She thinks she has a vague idea and even if she gets lost, there’s only so far you can wander on a college campus before finding coffee.

She rolls out of bed and is halfway to putting on the boots that she brought with her when Quinn rolls over in her bed and groans.

"Where are you going?"

Tina leaves the boots and goes to her, whispering, “I was going to get coffee.”

Quinn buries her head in the pillows and beckons Tina with a hand. “S’too early. Come cuddle me.”

Tina freezes, unsure for a second, but then curls into bed with Quinn, curving into her warm body and breathing in the soft scent of her. Quinn falls back asleep almost instantly and the soft rise and fall of her chest pulls at Tina until her breathing begins to keep the same time and she drifts off slowly.

 

She wakes again when she sun streams in through the crack in Quinn’s curtains. Tina flinches backward when the brightness spikes through her head, rolling into Quinn, who groans.

"Shit, I forgot you were there." Tina scrambles out of Quinn’s bed and moves to sit on the spare one, waiting patiently as Quinn sighs, rolls over and opens her eyes.

"I made you cuddle me, didn’t I?"

Tina nods and Quinn smiles sheepishly.

"Sorry, I do that when I’m half awake. I used to make my roommate cuddle me every morning that she got up before me. Made her late. Consistently. No wonder she moved out."

Tina laughs lightly. “It’s alright. It helped me get back to sleep.” She checks the time again. “But it’s eleven am now, so can I go get that coffee?”

Quinn pulls herself out of bed and pads towards the bathroom. “I’m going to have a shower but if you get lost, call me and I’ll find you.”

"Thanks for caring, bitch," Tina laughs and yells towards her, waiting for Quinn’s answering "fuck you" before leaving.

 

Once her and Quinn are sufficiently caffeinated, Tina prepares her things and starts to head home, singing loudly to her driving playlist. She’s not sure if it’s the caffeine pumping through her system or the aftermath of an eventful weekend, but she’s feeling on top of the world. All the icky feelings from last night are washed away in the warm Fall sun, and she finds herself humming as she unlocks the door to her room.

Rory is lying on her bed when Tina comes in, and quickly bounces up to hug her.

"I missed you!"

Tina returns the hug happily, grinning at her when she pulls away.

"Okay you look way too happy. I know you had sex this time."

Tina laughs airily as she puts her bags down. “Actually I did, but it was really bad. I had a great weekend regardless.”

Rory raises one eyebrow at Tina and points towards the bed. “Sit, and tell me all about it.”

Tina does what she’s told and recounts the entire weekend, from getting ready to cuddling with Quinn in the morning. She tries to gloss over the way the kiss with Quinn made her feel, happy to put it down to the effects of alcohol and think about no more. She gives Rory the blow by blow on her hook up with Dominic, trying to translate exactly how it made her feel.

“It wasn’t that he was bad, or anything. I mean, he mostly knew where everything was, so it wasn’t that he wasn’t competent. I don’t know.” She sighs and flops down on the bed. “Have you ever been in the middle of doing something and then just thought, ‘what the fuck? I don’t want to be this person’? It’s like, the second we got into the bathroom, I had that crystallizing moment. I don’t want to fuck randoms in bathrooms during a party. I don’t want everyone to laugh at me because I keep thinking gay guys are hot. I am done with casual sex. I want someone to want me. To pursue me, instead of the other way around. I’m just done.”

She rolls onto her stomach and looks up at Rory. “I mean, just spending a couple hours with Quinn in the morning with both of us hungover was more exciting than the entire party. It made me happier anyway. Doesn’t that indicate that I’m past all that?”

Rory quirks her lips but doesn’t remark, playing softly with Tina’s hair to soothe her. After Tina relaxes and begins to hum happily, Rory interrupts her. “I downloaded Repo. Wanna curl up and watch it?”

She nods and gets herself comfortable on Rory’s bed, the comfier of the two, as Rory sets up her laptop. This was a regular occurrence between the two of them since they first met and Tina had pulled up Moulin Rogue on her computer one night. Now, they had the routine down pat. Both phones were switched to vibrate simultaneously, Rory queuing up the movie as Tina grabbed snacks from their “movie and periods” stash.

They are both thoroughly invested in the movie until Tina breaks the silence while Shilo is dancing around in her nightgown.

"God, Alexa Vega is so gorgeous. You know how in the first Sky Kids her and Juni hide in that store and she comes out in that cute black outfit with the flowers? I loved that so much that I wanted to be her."

Rory looked at her suddenly. “You are so gay.”

"Your mom’s so gay," Tina fired back instantly, an immature response to what she assumed was an immature comment.

Rory presses pause and turns to Tina. “No, really. I mean it.”

Tina stutters in surprise. “I’m ss-straight. You know this.”

"I know, but I mean, have you ever thought about it?"

"Thought about what? Being gay?"

Rory cocks her head and looks at her thoughtfully. “About being queer in any way. I think it would make a lot of sense.”

Tina isn’t sure whether to be intrigued or insulted. “Explain.”

"Well, like at the party the other night. You were more turned on by kissing Quinn than when you had sex with that guy."

"I have bad sex with a guy one time and now in gay? What about all the good sex I’ve had with guys?"

Rory quirks an eyebrow at her. “Can I finish my sentence? Just hear me out without interrupting and then you can rant to your heart’s content.”

Tina purses her lips and nods for her to continue.

"For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve always had a super strong feminist streak, and are really interested in stories that are focused on girls. You check out women as much as me, and I am comfortable with my sexuality, so that’s not a great start. Besides, you are just such a loving person that all your relationships are tempered by that." Rory breaks off and watches Tina, who is frowning and looking down. "I’m not telling you who to be, honey, I just wanted you to think about it. I don’t think your feelings for Quinn are strictly platonic."

Tina’s head snaps up at that. “I don’t have feelings for Quinn. She’s my friend! Like you.”

Rory grins at her. “We cuddle all the time and you’ve never come through the door smiling like you’ve just had a million orgasms at DisneyLand afterwards.”

Tina laughs, “Maybe she just cuddles better than you.”

"Impossible. Don’t lie to me like that."

They grin at each other for a moment and then Tina nods and looks down. “I will think about it. I don’t know, but I’ll still think about it. Can we just watch the movie now?”

Rory presses play and it isn’t mentioned again.

 

And if Tina lies awake that night imagining warm breasts pressed to her back and lipstick kisses raining on her face, she can say for certain that it has absolutely nothing to do with what Rory said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Normally, I would never want someone to "tell" someone about their sexuality, but Tina is someone who doesn't see something unless it's right in front of her. Rory is genuinely trying to help her out here.


End file.
